In public restaurants, cleanliness is considered a pillar of restaurant maintenance. Reasons include stopping the spread of bacteria that can lead to foodbourne diseases. According to the Partnership for Food Safety Education, necessary areas and objects of focus for cleanliness include cutting boards, knives, utensils, countertops, stainless steel counters, walls, windows, appliances, ovens, stove tops, burners, pots, pans, stove hoods, and vents. The various necessary areas and objects of focus for cleanliness listed previously are many times subject to “oily soil” stains. Oily soil refers to petroleum products, such as vegetable oil, that can be the cause of stains in restaurants.
Current methods and means for addressing oily soils include liquid aqueous synthetic organic detergent compositions that can be used for hand washing of dishes and hard surfaces. The liquid detergent compositions usually comprise anionic, cationic and/or nonionic surfactants, builders and adjuvants. The liquid detergent compositions can serve to emulsify the oily soils in aqueous media. Liquid detergent compositions can also contain enzymes which are useful for hydrolysis of triglycerides, proteins, and starch. In the art, it is taught that oily soil is removed by the combined action of surfactants and enzymes. Builders usually include zeolite and phosphate.
The removal of oily soil from necessary objects and areas in a restaurant more than likely occurs via three mechanisms: (1) roll-up, (2) emulsification, or (3) solubilization. In Roll-up mechanism, the oily soil is reduced when the contact angle is larger than 90°. In Emulsification mechanism, a low-interfacial tension between the oily soil and detergent solution is required. In Solubilization mechanism, the oily soil is solubilized into an in situ formed microemulsion. It is generally held that Roll-up, being related to wetting agents, is relatively simple to achieve, and Emulsification and Solubilization require fine tuning of the composition.
Detersive systems have also been employed in the cleaning of necessary objects and areas in restaurants. Detersive systems are concentrates comprising mixtures of cleaning ingredients that, when mixed with water, form a cleaning medium or use compositions. Detersive systems can be in the form of a liquid, a particulate, or a solid.
The Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology discussing the use of single and combination ingredient detersive systems and their suitable uses, for example for glass and ceramics by hand (hand dishwashing) that may control oily soil and solid organic material, an organic surfactant is suitable with a mechanical action of moderate to vigorous; for cleaning metal structures and equipment, tanks, etc. that contains mostly oily soil and some organic solid material, and inorganic surfactant worked by suitable with a mechanical action of vigorous rubbing, sometimes hydraulic.
The prior art teaches inventions that show the use of detersive systems for cleaning. U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,942 to Lokkesmoe et al. teaches the use of a detersive agent containing a soil removing detergent and a softening agent having an inner acidic aqueous phase and an exterior organic complexing agent phase. U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,861 to de Guertechin et al. teaches a cleaning composition containing a bleachant system incorporated in three liquid phases, wherein each phase essentially contains a polar solvent, a non-polar solvent, or a weakly polar solvent and an amphiphile.
The use of bleaching agents in cleaning composition is well-known in the art. In warewashing, the primary role of bleach is to reduce spotting and filming by breaking down and removing the last traces of absorbed soils. U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,942 teaches the incorporation of sources of active chlorine, including sodium hypochlorite, calcium hypochlorite, and chlorinated sodium tripolyphosphate. U.S. Pat. No. 5,643,861 discusses the inclusion of a peroxygen bleach. U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,477 to Whitley teaches a detergent containing cleaning additives, and the option to include a bleach such as calcium hypochlorite, sodium hypochlorite or hydrogen peroxide.
Vinegar is the liquid condiment or food flavoring used to give a sharp or sour taste to foods. It is also used as a preservative. Vinegar consists principally of water, acetic acid, mineral salts, and the organic constituents of the natural organic starting material.
The percentage of acetic acid in vinegar usually consists of 3 to 5%. Regarding cleaning compositions, acetic acid and vinegar have been incorporated in some instances. U.S. Pat. No. 4,164,477 teaches the incorporation of vinegar into a mold or mildew remover concentrate. U.S. Pat. No. 4,793,942 teaches the incorporation of an acid such as acetic acid into the composition. U.S. Pat. No. 5,436,008 teaches the incorporation of acidulants such as acetic acid.
Regarding the use of bleach with acetic acid or vinegar, it is well-known in the art of cleaning that bleach and acetic acid or vinegar should not be mixed. The mixture of bleach with vinegar has, prior to this invention, resulted in the release of highly toxic chloramine gas. It is known that short-term exposure to this gas can result in mild asthmatic symptoms, or serious respiratory problems.
The instant invention relates to a detersive system that, in addition to containing various cleaning ingredients, contains a bleach and vinegar that creates a synergistic affect useful in the cleaning of necessary areas and objects of focus for cleanliness in restaurants. Additionally, the detersive system of the instant invention can be used in the cleaning of many different surfaces including stainless steel, Formica™, chrome, glass, plastic, and carpet. The detersive system of the instant invention is also effective against oily soil stains. The invention also relates to a method of making such a detersive system containing a bleach and vinegar, while avoiding the release of toxic amounts of harmful chloramine gas.